Chapter 166: Your Majesty is Sagely and Wise

The atmosphere grew heavy.

Yang Xiong swept his gaze over everyone again. Seeing their expressions, his lips curled into another smile.

“It seems that in Governor Wang’s mind, being an official and being a servant of the Emperor are the same thing. But Governor Wang is mistaken. Being an official is about governing those below. To the soldiers, civilians, and common people below, Governor Wang is their official. Since Governor Wang came to Guizhou, the military and administrative affairs of the province have been handled in an orderly manner. So we say Governor Wang knows how to be an official. But being a servant is about serving those above. Being a servant is different from being an official. A servant must learn to anticipate the wishes of the one above him. Who is that one above? It is our Emperor…”

As he spoke, he turned solemnly northward and cupped his hands respectfully in salute.

Wang Shi frowned inwardly. The words made sense. An official governs the people; a servant serves the sovereign. Yet the roles of servant and official are combined in the same person. If a person becomes an official, he naturally also becomes a servant. But serving those below and serving those above are indeed different. It stood to reason.

Yang Xiong stood up, paced a few steps, and continued, “I now wish to ask you all, who originally proposed establishing the Mountain Brigade?”

The Prefect of Guiyang, holding the lowest rank, chuckled and said, “The imperial court.”

“Wrong!” Yang Xiong shook his head and stated flatly, “It was the Emperor! The decree came as an Imperial Edict directly from His Majesty, bypassing the Grand Secretariat. That makes it the Emperor’s own decision, does it not?”

He paused, then asked, “His Majesty, Sagely and Wise, gave this order. Our purpose here is simply to carry out the Emperor’s will. Now the Mountain Brigade has been established. How are the results?”

“The results are significant,” Wang Shi replied. He was no fool. As Yang Xiong laid it out like this, Wang Shi began to grasp the underlying meaning.

Yang Xiong gave a cold laugh. “Yes, significant results. Then let me ask again, to whom should this credit belong?”

Huff…

Indeed, a Palace Eunuch. In one breath, he laid bare the crucial relationship.

“The Emperor!” This time, everyone answered in unison.

A sinister smile spread across Yang Xiong’s face. He raised his voice, sounding immensely proud. “Exactly! The Emperor! Without the Emperor, this achievement would not exist. Your Majesty is Sagely and Wise, farsighted, planning strategies within his tent yet destroying rebels a thousand miles away!”

The others had no choice but to echo Yang Xiong in chorus, “Indeed, Your Majesty is Sagely and Wise.”

“So…” Yang Xiong gave a sly smile. “…this memorial needs some careful thought. Let me be clear upfront: none of us should dream of greedily claiming this credit for ourselves. As for anyone wanting to seize this chance to glorify themselves… heh heh… I’ll speak bluntly now—if they try that, they won’t end well.”

A chill ran through Wang Shi’s heart. His original intent had indeed been to embellish his own role a little in the memorial. Now that Yang Xiong laid it out so plainly, a cold dread gripped him.

Indeed, he truly had no right to claim this credit. It was fortunate that Eunuch Yang reminded him in time.

The other officials also felt their hearts sink. Frankly, who among them didn’t want a slice of this glorious pie? But now… that thought instantly vanished.

Yang Xiong clasped his hands behind his back and paced a few more steps. “This credit belongs neither to the soldiers who fought the enemy, nor to you or me. It can belong to only one person: the one who explicitly commanded us to build the Mountain Brigade. That person can only be His Majesty. But, if His Majesty claims the primary merit, only seven hundred rebels killed… does that sound sufficient?”

No!

The answer sprang into each person’s mind without a moment’s hesitation.

Expressionless, Yang Xiong concluded with finality, “Let’s say five thousand rebels killed. Twenty strongholds captured… No, no, it’s better to have exact figures with some decimals. Five thousand three hundred and seventy-one. That’s an auspicious number. Twenty-three and a half strongholds captured…”

“Twenty-three and a half?”

Yang Xiong narrowed his eyes. “You still don’t understand. If we want our report to please the Emperor and convince the entire court that this credit is absolutely truthful, we need it to sound realistic. In the memorial, we say the extra half stronghold came about because the rebel army, seeing the Mountain Brigade’s unstoppable advance and utterly frightened by the mere whisper of its approach, set fire to their own stronghold before the Mountain Brigade even arrived, then fled in panic. Therefore, although we ‘captured’ the stronghold, it was already reduced to ashes. See? Doesn’t this show how meticulous we are? Even our victory report is so rigorously detailed?”

Huff…

Only then did everyone realize that Yang Xiong, who had remained low-key and refrained from asserting his eunuch authority ever since arriving in Guizhou, possessed such meticulous cunning. Impressive!

At this point, Yang Xiong gave a complacent smile. “Naturally, this is not the most crucial part. Serving as subjects of the Emperor is all about making him happy. To make things perfect requires united efforts. The Brocade Guard, the Governor’s Office, the Administration Commission, the Transportation Commission, the Regional Military Commission, the Regional Commander’s residence, and myself, the Palace Eunuch – we must all keep our stories tight. We are embellishing the Emperor’s glory. Let me speak plainly upfront: if anyone’s reports contain discrepancies… by tomorrow, he’ll have rotten balls!”

Everyone was stunned.

Eunuch Yang wasn’t exactly playing fair here. Among those present, everyone present possessed those very parts… everyone except Eunuch Yang himself! He was demanding they swear an oath by risking something he didn’t even have. If their balls rotted, what loss would he suffer?

Of course, this was merely a minor detail. The crucial implication suddenly became crystal clear to all present.

In the past, the biggest problem with fabricating military achievements was the difficulty of coordinating between different offices. A Governor might suborn the Three Judicial Commissioners to collude with him. But could he get the Brocade Guard to join him in fabricating reports? Could he possibly bribe the Brocade Guard and bribe the Palace Eunuch as well?

This time, however, the difference lay in the fact that the Mountain Brigade was the Emperor’s own idea, explicitly ordered by Imperial Edict. They were all conspiring to inflate the Emperor’s own merit. If the Emperor himself wanted inflated merits, who would dare raise any objection? Whoever did so would have a death wish!

Wang Shi still felt somewhat hesitant. While Eunuch Yang’s words made sense…

Just then, a cold voice declared, “The Brocade Guard has no problem whatsoever. Eunuch Yang is correct. My report to the Northern Garrison Command will also state Eunuch Yang’s numbers. If we all speak with one voice, it will be seamless. Not even an immortal descended from heaven could find a flaw in it.”

The speaker was the Brocade Guard Qianhu Officer. Usually taciturn, he was precisely the figure in Guiyang City whom everyone feared.

The Prefect of Guiyang smiled faintly. “With Eunuch Yang and the Qianhu both stating their positions, what else do I, a minor official, have to say?”

Regional Commander Li Yutai slapped his thigh decisively. “I have nothing to say either.”

One by one, the others nodded. Finally, all eyes settled on Wang Shi.

Wang Shi offered a slight smile. In that brief moment just passed, he had already assessed the pros and cons in his mind. Now he spoke calmly and with seeming indifference. “Then, concerning the memorial, we must trouble all of you to carefully polish it together.”

Yang Xiong smiled. “As long as we unite and act wholeheartedly, then everything will be flawless! The Emperor’s heart will rejoice, and naturally, our faces will shine. Doesn’t the saying go? ‘When the sovereign worries, it is a disgrace to his servants; when the sovereign is disgraced, his servants should die’!”

A bold plan had, at this very moment, begun fermenting here. Those involved encompassed almost the entire Guizhou officialdom. Each one shared the same purpose and banded together in close-knit solidarity. Ensuring their stories matched, they dispatched over a dozen memorials toward the Capital before long.

…

Meanwhile, in the Capital, the Palace Examination was about to commence.

The date was set for the thirteenth day of the sixth month.

The Capital bubbled with great enthusiasm for this Palace Examination.

The previous Metropolitan Examination had been miraculous.

Whether this miracle could be extended through the Palace Examination was enough to whet everyone’s appetite.

Some even whispered privately that Fang Jifan’s disciples were merely passable at writing Eight-Legged Essays. However, the Palace Examination tested Policy Essays, so their chances might not be so great.

Although the Palace Examination rankings were ultimately influenced by the Metropolitan Examination results, to some degree, it wasn’t impossible for a lower-ranked Tribute Scholar to pull off an upset this time.

Perhaps because Fang Jifan had been at the center of attention too much recently, especially unsettling many scholars who had previously been thoroughly bested by him.

Thus, countless people eagerly anticipated this event with their heads craned.

The three-year Imperial Examination festival was sufficiently exciting to enthrall the entire Capital.

Wang Shouren, who ranked fourth in the Metropolitan Examination, drew considerable attention instead.

At least… the gambling houses were paying close attention.

This wasn’t hard to understand. Many were desperate to see someone break Fang Jifan’s perceived monopoly on scholarly glory. How could a supposedly brain-damaged Young Lord from the Nanhe Bo Mansion dominate the most prestigious scholarly competition of the twelfth year of Hongzhi?

Delving deeper, the skepticism was actually somewhat justified.

Ouyang Zhi and the other two, along with Tang Yin and Xu Jing, came from either poor backgrounds or merely affluent merchant families. They likely lacked finesse under high-pressure conditions.

Wang Shouren, however, was different. He had traveled widely. His father was a Zhuangyuan and on close terms with Li Dongyang. The people he associated with were all important court ministers. His father, Wang Hua, was currently as red-hot as Yang Tinghe. Many believed Wang Hua might even become a Marquis or Chancellor someday—it was only a matter of time.

The Palace Examination no longer tested Eight-Legged Essays, but Policy Essays instead.

Policy Essays involved the court posing policy questions to the candidates, who then submitted written ‘memorial-style’ responses. This art lay no longer solely within the bounds of the Four Books and Five Classics, testing both quick-thinking adaptability and understanding of current affairs.

Wang Hua felt deeply concerned about his son’s performance in the Palace Examination.

Frankly, he couldn’t afford the blow to his reputation.

He was a Zhuangyuan, a high-ranking court minister. His son simply could not fail to surpass others in Policy Essays.

Therefore, very early this morning, just as he was preparing to depart for his official duties, he noticed a light still on in the study. It instantly filled Wang Hua with a sense of relief.

Though his son might have frivolously wasted time before, at least now he understood the need for last-minute preparedness.

So, dressed in his Court Attire, he walked slowly to the study. Pushing open the door, he saw Wang Shouren seated straight-backed behind the desk.

Wang Shouren’s hair was disheveled. His Scholarly Headscarf was slightly askew. His eyes were bloodshot, and dried ink stains marred his large sleeves.

Wang Hua’s heart brimmed with even more appreciation. He couldn’t help but smile faintly. Good. Excellent. Very good.

Moving closer, he saw a sheet of paper spread out. On it, Wang Shouren had written four large characters in his own hand. The characters danced vigorously across the page, executed in bold cursive script. Wang Shouren’s calligraphy followed Wang Hua’s true traditions, imbued with formidable spirit.

Those four characters read…

Unity of Knowledge and Action